Wells Street bridge closing for one year

It starts in December:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/13758202-418/wells-street-bridge-resto...

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Permalink Reply by JeffB on July 22, 2012 at 7:41am

don't know if this was posted before, but the above article just appeared in my iGoogle Sun-Times gadget, but it looks like it was posted back on 7/13.  Anyway, has anyone heard of any bike accomodations being included in this?

Permalink Reply by Michelle S on July 23, 2012 at 3:58pm

I asked Mike Amsden of CDOT about this in a recent interview, and here's what he said:

Q: I saw recently that the Wells Street bridge will be out of commission completely starting in December 2012 for a full year. That takes out the only bridge to get into the Loop that has a bike lane and a plate. What’s going to be the best alternate route for northside bike commuters after December?
A: We’re currently working on an alternate route for bicyclists coming into the Loop from the northside.  We’re hoping to have protected bike lanes coming into the Loop this fall, but at a minimum, we need to at least make an additional bridge bicycle-friendly.  
Permalink Reply by John Wirtz on July 24, 2012 at 1:09am

Wow, I guess it's time for protected bike lanes on Clark and/or Dearborn

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on July 24, 2012 at 4:42am

+1

John Wirtz said:

Wow, I guess it's time for protected bike lanes on Clark and/or Dearborn

Permalink Reply by Duppie on October 30, 2012 at 9:59am

The Wells street bridge closing will start next week.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-wells-street-...

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on October 30, 2012 at 10:02am

Not having ridden on anything else going south from Kinzie, are there any bridges that are not open grate?  The article says bicycles can go south on Clark, but I cannot remember what the bridge deck is made of.

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on October 30, 2012 at 10:28am

I'm pretty sure Clark is metal grate. I'm all for plates or whatever, but I think the concern over grated bridges is overblown. If you have trouble on them you might want to look into wider tires, or running them at a higher PSI (or both).

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on October 30, 2012 at 10:29am

Unless it's been modified very recently, the Clark St. bridge deck has 2 grated sections, as in this satellite view.

Permalink Reply by Rich S on October 30, 2012 at 10:52am

The Orleans/Franklin St bridge is filled in with concrete but that'll only help going north. Wabash and State are good alternatives for either direction. 

I believe LaSalle is partially filled in with concrete but about half is open grate. 

Permalink Reply by blair on October 30, 2012 at 10:52am

Lisa - I have the same overblown concern.  

Looking for something not open-grate that will get me from Kinzie to Washington.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on October 30, 2012 at 12:17pm

LaSalle is bad. I prefer Clark southbound, but it's still open grate.

Rich S said:

The Orleans/Franklin St bridge is filled in with concrete but that'll only help going north. Wabash and State are good alternatives for either direction. 

I believe LaSalle is partially filled in with concrete but about half is open grate. 

Permalink Reply by blair on October 30, 2012 at 12:43pm

Chicago Bicycle Program's FB says cyclists will be detoured to Clark - bridge has newly-installed plates! 

http://www.facebook.com/chicagobikes

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